Despite its lackluster season, Texas State men’s basketball has some newfound leadership from its young up-and-coming freshman guard Kaden Gumbs. Gumbs utilizes his youth by averaging 31 minutes per game and has appeared in all 20 games of the 2023-24 season.
Box score stats don’t typically show the well-rounded aspect of Gumbs’ game. The shifty young guard excites the home crowd every week with his fast-paced style, which sparks his team whenever he’s on the court.
Gumbs is consistently in attack mode, which has enabled him to average 10 points while bringing in nearly four assists and four rebounds per game this season.
Head Coach Terrence Johnson believes Gumbs has faced more adversity at Texas State than he has in the past two years, given the Bobcat basketball squad is current struggles.
“He owns his mistakes and never makes an excuse,” Johnson said. “He’s young, and he’s trying to lead more from the position than from the classification.”
It’s evident when watching Gumbs that the San Marcos native is accustomed to having the ball in his hands at the point guard position and prioritizes protecting the ball and making the right pass every possession.
Dan Miller, Gumbs’ high school coach at San Marcos High School, always remembers him for his quick style of play and ability to snatch a rebound on the defensive end and finish on the other side of the court in seconds.
“He’s quick. I think how fast he can go from point A to point B was most surprising to me,” Miller said. “It’s probably easier to play fast in high school, but he can still do it at a high level in college too.”
Miller said he still remembers working with the 18-year-old guard for the first time and saw Gumbs’ true potential even before he committed to Texas State.
“I knew he was a special point guard from the very first moment I worked with him,” Miller said. “He has a lot of intangibles, and he’s very athletic. He always wanted to be good.”
Although the Bobcats are in the midst of a disappointing 2023-24 season, with only one win in their last 10 games, Gumbs continues to lead each play and looks to translate his productivity toward winning more games in his first collegiate season.
